INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 359, 2 May 1868, Page 2

INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

The following was the motion made by Mr. Forster; and agreed to, in the Legis.-: lative Assembly of New South Wales on the subject of the Panama mail : — f< That there be laid upon the table of this. House, --=L A return of the cost of steam postal communication with Grea.t Britain, by way of Panama, since the commencement of the contract to the date of return, speck fying, separately, the cost of each monthly mail,as well as of each of the several stages of communication— that is to say, the cost bgtwegn Sydney anxlthe Isthmus, the cost across the Isthmus, and the cost between the Isthmus and Great Britain j also, in eagh case, the cost of each letter or newspaper, so far as the same can be apt proximatgly estimated. 2. A return, extending qver the game time, of the number of, and revenue derived from, letters, newspap§rs, or packages conveyed by the. said route between this colony and Great Britain, showing the number and revenue each wayj to and from the colony, and by each mail. 3. A return, extending over the same time, of the number of lgtters, news.pa.peps, or packages lost, or which cannot be accounted for upon application, while in process of transmission by the Said route, showing the numbi peach way, to and from the colony, and by each mail.'' Information was received at Sandhurst from the Serpantine, that one of Mr. Russell's , boundary-riders ', happened tq slop at a vacant hut, about nine miles from the home, station, and in the sleeping apartment he found the, body of a man suspendgd by the neck from a cord atr tached to one of the. rafters, Mounted-: constable Corbet proceeded to the hut, and found the body to be that of a young man, about twenty-seven years of age, strong and muscular in build, about sft, Qiji. in height, with dark hair, whiskera. and moustache, the latter small, and of lighter colour than the beard ; the features; • were regular, but rather thin, and with small nose and eyes, The constable sei.jehed the swag and clothing of de* ceased, but found' nothing to lead to the identification of the body, which from its appearance was dead but a ghort tim.e before being discovered, There was a great stir among the Chinese ajbout Beechworth lately. It appears it was a festiva.l set apart as, sacred to the memory of the departed, and there were high doings, at the, cemetery, Coaches, were chartered and constantly piled between the Chinese, camp and the burial-ground, and numbers, of these curious people came in from Reid's. Creek an,d other places, in carts., p,n horseback;, and on foot. Offerings of roasted pigs^ Chinese pastiles, celestial whiskey, aud eatables and drinkables of every kind knp.wn to the children of the. sun and moon wer§ in request and laid about the graves. The dead were re-, quested to partake, and if they complied must have done so vicariously through, the bodies of the living, who appeared to eat their own, share and the dead men's, share also. Some two or three hundred outer barha^ana witnessed the ceremonies, and were not in a b£t more jolly humor than the Ch.in.ese themselves,, wh,Q enjoye4 the fun mightily. Ac Goulbum assizes lately^ a. man named Sanittel Garland wa& put on his., trial for a criminal assault on % young woman named Bridget Keyes, at Yass^ The evidence taken was somewhat singular^ and does not say much for the, morality of our neighbors over the border. As. reported in the Gmilbfiirn Herald, it wafl as follows :— w Bridget Keyejs stated : I am sixteen years of age. I never went to. school or to church. J don't know what will become of me if I tell lies. I don't know what sort of people go to heaven^ 1 don't know what a clergyman is. I think the people who tell lies go to the same place as those who speak the truth. His Honor said the witness was not com-* petent to give evidence in the case. SubInspector Brennan deposed : I havei known the last witness for six or seven years. I have qeen her at church several times, In Yass she knew the nature ofan oa,th, and gave evidence at the police cjourt, Bridget Keyes was again put into the box and stated : I might have been in the Catholic chapel in Yass. I don't know what I was there for. I know Dean; Hanley, who is a priest J have been in Yass gaol during the last two months. Witness was then committed to gaol for contempt of court until next morning. His Honor directed the jury to acquit the prisoner, who was accordingly dis-. charged."